Has anyone ever done the shoretrips fly and dive to ambergris caye?

[familyplanner]

My husband, 2 brothers and I are looking forward to a dive in belize this november when we dock on the Norwegian Jewel. I have been looking for and independent tour and wondered if anyone has ever done shoretrips fly and dive to ambergris caye? It looks like alot of fun and sounds better than the description of the ships dive. If you have done it how long was the excursion do we have time to make it back to the ship? Can non divers tag along? Thanks in advance for your help.:)

[CaribQween]

My husband, 2 brothers and I are looking forward to a dive in belize this november when we dock on the Norwegian Jewel. I have been looking for and independent tour and wondered if anyone has ever done shoretrips fly and dive to ambergris caye? It looks like alot of fun and sounds better than the description of the ships dive. If you have done it how long was the excursion do we have time to make it back to the ship? Can non divers tag along? Thanks in advance for your help.:)

 

We're considering the exact same excursion through shoretrips.com. It sounds really, really cool. We've sort of shied away from excursions that say there is 2 hours of travel time involved, but the 15 minute flight each way would be great too. And of course, it's the barrier reef. We're not going until our cruise in February on the Legend so, please come back and tell us all about it, please :).

[diverearl]

My husband, 2 brothers and I are looking forward to a dive in belize this november when we dock on the Norwegian Jewel. I have been looking for and independent tour and wondered if anyone has ever done shoretrips fly and dive to ambergris caye? It looks like alot of fun and sounds better than the description of the ships dive. If you have done it how long was the excursion do we have time to make it back to the ship? Can non divers tag along? Thanks in advance for your help.:)

 

We have made this trip several times as you can see in our webshots albums http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553395717PJjXeJ?start=28 , just click on any album that was a Grand Princess Cruise or Belize in the title. The best way to get a good start on the day is to go to the pursers desk and get a pass to make the first tender. They may balk a little but show them your flight reservation paper you can print off from Tropic Air's web sight and they will usually help you.

 

As soon as you tender in catch a cab to the Municipal Airport about $6.00 each way (tell the driver what time to pick you up when you return it cost about 1/2 of what the cab at the airport will charge to take you back to the dock) (be sure to go to The Municipal Airport not the international airport which cost almost double, you catch the same plane about 5 minutes apart) and fly Tropic Air http://www.tropicair.com/ (our choice) or Maya Island Air to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye which takes 15 - 20 minutes. It cost about $65 US per person RT and we tell them we have been diving so they will keep the flight at a lower altitude, so far we have never had a problem using Tropic Air, I'm sure Maya is fine also.

 

With 5 divers you will be able to set up a dive for your arrival time at the dive shop. We have used Ambergris Divers http://www.ambergrisdivers.com/index.php 5 or 6 times without any problems but I'm sure any shop on San Pedro would be ok if you are familiar with a different shop. The Ambergris Divers shop / pier and 15 other dive shops are about a 5 minute (or less if you hurry) walk from the small airport. Just fill out the release form and hop in the boat for a five minute ride to the first dive sight. You will return to their dock / shop for your SIT then head out for the second dive. The surface is often somewhat ruff in the area you will be diving so snorkeling to watch the divers (which will be around 60 feet deep) might be a little tough, just ask the person you email about water conditions typical for the time of year you will be on Ambergris. You will see lots of Nurse Sharks, large Green Moray Eels, huge Groupers and tons of other fish. There are some nice canyons to swim through but the large critters are the real draw for this area. Tackle Box Canyon, Victoria and several other reefs are a few minutes away from the dive shop.

 

We usually eat a Seafood / Mexican food lunch at a place right on the beach behind the dive shop for about $10.00. Then walk around San Pedro's shops for a little while before grabbing our gear and heading back to the airport for the short ride back. Get a cab to the dock and you have had a great day in Belize.

[CaribQween]

We have made this trip several times as you can see in our webshots albums http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553395717PJjXeJ?start=28 , just click on any album that was a Grand Princess Cruise or Belize in the title. The best way to get a good start on the day is to go to the pursers desk and get a pass to make the first tender. They may balk a little but show them your flight reservation paper you can print off from Tropic Air's web sight and they will usually help you.

 

As soon as you tender in catch a cab to the Municipal Airport about $6.00 each way (tell the driver what time to pick you up when you return it cost about 1/2 of what the cab at the airport will charge to take you back to the dock) (be sure to go to The Municipal Airport not the international airport which cost almost double, you catch the same plane about 5 minutes apart) and fly Tropic Air http://www.tropicair.com/ (our choice) or Maya Island Air to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye which takes 15 - 20 minutes. It cost about $65 US per person RT and we tell them we have been diving so they will keep the flight at a lower altitude, so far we have never had a problem using Tropic Air, I'm sure Maya is fine also.

 

With 5 divers you will be able to set up a dive for your arrival time at the dive shop. We have used Ambergris Divers http://www.ambergrisdivers.com/index.php 5 or 6 times without any problems but I'm sure any shop on San Pedro would be ok if you are familiar with a different shop. The Ambergris Divers shop / pier and 15 other dive shops are about a 5 minute (or less if you hurry) walk from the small airport. Just fill out the release form and hop in the boat for a five minute ride to the first dive sight. You will return to their dock / shop for your SIT then head out for the second dive. The surface is often somewhat ruff in the area you will be diving so snorkeling to watch the divers (which will be around 60 feet deep) might be a little tough, just ask the person you email about water conditions typical for the time of year you will be on Ambergris. You will see lots of Nurse Sharks, large Green Moray Eels, huge Groupers and tons of other fish. There are some nice canyons to swim through but the large critters are the real draw for this area. Tackle Box Canyon, Victoria and several other reefs are a few minutes away from the dive shop.

 

We usually eat a Seafood / Mexican food lunch at a place right on the beach behind the dive shop for about $10.00. Then walk around San Pedro's shops for a little while before grabbing our gear and heading back to the airport for the short ride back. Get a cab to the dock and you have had a great day in Belize.

 

Wow!! What great information. Tell us, if you've been diving at Turneffe Atoll, do you prefer diving there or Ambergris Caye? And thanks for being so willing to help others out. It's really very cool!!

[familyplanner]

Shoretrips includes the airfare and all the equipment for around a $180 bucks. We are all new to diving, but did discover scuba a couple of years ago in Cozumel. We are all hooked and will all be certified this time around. :D Your info was most helpful and I think I will go ahead and book this excursion. Again Thank you for your help. CarribQween, I will definitely post when I get back. I will be in belize on the 18th or 19th of November so watch for it around thanksgiving. Anyone else have experience?

[sddiver]

Wow!! What great information. Tell us, if you've been diving at Turneffe Atoll, do you prefer diving there or Ambergris Caye? And thanks for being so willing to help others out. It's really very cool!!

 

 

Having spent land based time in San Pedro(Ambergris Caye) I would vote for Turneffe. The reefs around San Pedro are OK. The reefs and fish life out at Turneffe are much better perhaps world class in comparison. When in Ambergris we took the 2+ hour boat rides out to Turneffe and Lighthouse reefs and were much more impressed with the diving on the Atolls over the local diving.

 

Have Fun either way

 

Rich

[familyplanner]

I appreciate your input. Any other opinions?

[familyplanner]

They are great. I did think of another question, do you need a wetsuit to dive in belize? How deep do you generally dive?

[CaribQween]

Shoretrips includes the airfare and all the equipment for around a $180 bucks. We are all new to diving, but did discover scuba a couple of years ago in Cozumel. We are all hooked and will all be certified this time around. :D Your info was most helpful and I think I will go ahead and book this excursion. Again Thank you for your help. CarribQween, I will definitely post when I get back. I will be in belize on the 18th or 19th of November so watch for it around thanksgiving. Anyone else have experience?

 

I'll be anxiously awaiting your review :). We're very new to diving too (certified 3 weeks) and this will be our first trip to dive anything besides our local quarries. We're really trying to plan everything out so we get to dive all the best spots.

[CaribQween]

They are great. I did think of another question, do you need a wetsuit to dive in belize? How deep do you generally dive?

 

We currently have 3 mm full body wetsuits and I've been asking everyone about whether I REALLY need that in the Caribbean or if I could go with a shorty and I repeatedly get told to stick with the full body because even though the Caribbean will seem warm, the heat will continue to be pulled out of your body and if you plan on doing a lot of diving while you're on your cruise, you'll continue to get colder each day. The Caribbean water will be 78-80 degrees, but your body is 98 degrees, so you're body temp will get lower and lower. So, sense I tend to get cold even in my 3mm wetsuit, they are telling me not to go with even a shorty. (But, lord do I hate pulling on that full body wetsuit :rolleyes:). However, if you were just going to dive Belize, you might not have such a problem with that.

[diverearl]

Wow!! What great information. Tell us, if you've been diving at Turneffe Atoll, do you prefer diving there or Ambergris Caye? And thanks for being so willing to help others out. It's really very cool!!

 

Thanks and Yes we have been on a cruise ship sponsored dive to the Turneffe Atoll but it was 7 years ago. It is about a two hour boat ride to the dive sight but it was a really nice boat with a good ride. The dives were not as spectacular as we have heard, the reefs we were diving on Turneffe Atoll were very good but the visibility was not as good as it could have been, I don't remember why but the water was stirred up a bit. When we did this dive the SIT was done on a small island with a lobster fishing camp that was very interesting, I can't remember what we had for lunch but it was good and the staff was very courteous, again it's been many years so things may be very different.

 

 

What really made us decide to try something else at this port (fly/dive) was the coral and fish just didn't overwhelm us as I had read from others, maybe it has gotten a lot better since we were there or we just missed the right day or spot but for $150 plus a day diving you really need to wow me to bring me back. You might have a very different 2 tank dive than we did we just enjoy the San Pedro day a lot better for the money.

 

A cruise ships two tank Turneffe Atoll dive usually cost $165.00 and we do the Ambergris Caye two tank dive with cab fare both ways, RT air and lunch for about $150.00 pp.

 

Also if you have non divers in the group they can fly over and have a great beach day with some really nice shopping, spend the SIT with your group on the pier, eat lunch with you and enjoy some very different sight seeing in San Pedro than in most commercial ports all for under $100.00.

 

I really like Green Moray Eels and Ambergris Caye is loaded with these critters, either trip will be fun if the weather is decent but if it rains the San Pedro day is a lot easier to enjoy.

 

I usually like to let the pictures speak for themselves as they speak louder than words. Look at peoples photo share sights for an undeniable review of what to expect from any given tour operator, port or the experience you might expect is the best tip I can give.

 

I did think of another question, do you need a wetsuit to dive in belize? How deep do you generally dive?

 

We usually just use a shorty 3mm but a full is probably better if you get cold easy and will be diving multiple days in a row. My wife gets cold easy and for one day just uses a shorty but brings a 3mm full for several days of diving even in the warm Caribbean waters. We only take a cruise so we can visit different places in a single week so we usually dive everyday unless we have someone along that we really want to spend some time with on a particular island or port. We will be in Cozumel for a week in late November, I will just wear my shorty and will live in the water but Teri will definitely bring her 3mm full and will spend a lot more time on the beach and enjoying the all inclusive part of the week ;).

 

This would be a personal call for me knowing my own body but most recreational divers will lean towards the more comfortable / safer side of the coin .

[familyplanner]

Your information has been greatly appreciated:D

[bbwex]

Although I have not been on the trip you are asking about, I have used Shoretrips in other cities, and they are very well-organized and do a great job in general.

 

As for diving in the Caribbean, I have never used a wet suit, though if you were doing two dives in one day, you might want to consider it. If you're doing one per day, anything in the U.S. V.I. or south of there does not require a wet suit.

Welcome to the warmth of the Caribbean!

[CaribQween]

Thanks and Yes we have been on a cruise ship sponsored dive to the Turneffe Atoll but it was 7 years ago. It is about a two hour boat ride to the dive sight but it was a really nice boat with a good ride. The dives were not as spectacular as we have heard, the reefs we were diving on Turneffe Atoll were very good but the visibility was not as good as it could have been, I don't remember why but the water was stirred up a bit. When we did this dive the SIT was done on a small island with a lobster fishing camp that was very interesting, I can't remember what we had for lunch but it was good and the staff was very courteous, again it's been many years so things may be very different.

 

 

What really made us decide to try something else at this port (fly/dive) was the coral and fish just didn't overwhelm us as I had read from others, maybe it has gotten a lot better since we were there or we just missed the right day or spot but for $150 plus a day diving you really need to wow me to bring me back. You might have a very different 2 tank dive than we did we just enjoy the San Pedro day a lot better for the money.

 

A cruise ships two tank Turneffe Atoll dive usually cost $165.00 and we do the Ambergris Caye two tank dive with cab fare both ways, RT air and lunch for about $150.00 pp.

 

Also if you have non divers in the group they can fly over and have a great beach day with some really nice shopping, spend the SIT with your group on the pier, eat lunch with you and enjoy some very different sight seeing in San Pedro than in most commercial ports all for under $100.00.

 

I really like Green Moray Eels and Ambergris Caye is loaded with these critters, either trip will be fun if the weather is decent but if it rains the San Pedro day is a lot easier to enjoy.

 

I usually like to let the pictures speak for themselves as they speak louder than words. Look at peoples photo share sights for an undeniable review of what to expect from any given tour operator, port or the experience you might expect is the best tip I can give.

 

 

I think we're pretty much convinced on the Fly/Dive to Abergris Caye over Turneffe Atoll just considering everything together :). We were afraid at first about the possbility of missing our cruise ship on the way back, due to tendering and everything, but the whole tour is only 5.5 hours and we'll be there 9 hours (and we'll take your suggestion about how to get the first tender of the day). I really like the idea of spending our SIT shopping and having lunch in San Pedro as opposed to going out on the island (with the lobster camp).

 

I have a question about San Pedro. We've previously read over and over on CC that when in Belize you shouldn't leave the tourist village on your own because it isn't very safe and you have people constantly accosting you, etc. Would you say that it is the same way in San Pedro or is it different because it isn't by the cruise port? Of course, we know you need to be safe no matter where you go and take precautions, but I just wondered if San Pedro was relatively safe for shopping and having lunch.

 

Thanks again for all of the help you've provided. It is a little intimidating trying to plan all of these dives when you've new to diving. So having you to share your experiences is just really very helpful.

[YYJValerie]

We did a similar trip to snorkel back in March when we arrived on the Carnival Glory. We had absolutely no time problems. The snorkeling was incredible and the flight over was gorgeous. We have been snorkeling all over the Caribbean - this was by far our best trip ever. My husband just got his AOW certification and can't wait to go back for scuba -- I'll stay on top! :) But definitely go for this trip -- the experience of a lifetime and the highlight of our cruise!

[CaribQween]

We did a similar trip to snorkel back in March when we arrived on the Carnival Glory. We had absolutely no time problems. The snorkeling was incredible and the flight over was gorgeous. We have been snorkeling all over the Caribbean - this was by far our best trip ever. My husband just got his AOW certification and can't wait to go back for scuba -- I'll stay on top! :) But definitely go for this trip -- the experience of a lifetime and the highlight of our cruise!

 

I think we're convinced. You have all just made this excursion sound so fabulous. I can't wait to do it. The thought of the plane ride on that little Cessna scares me to death since I'm not good with flying in the first place, but it also seems really cool and I bet the view will be absolutely beautiful. Since I've started scuba diving, I'v had to face a lot of my fears and overcome them, and now, I look forward to doing things I would never have considered before. I truly think we'll find this excursion to be the experience of a lifetime, too. Thanks.

[familyplanner]

I think we're convinced. You have all just made this excursion sound so fabulous. I can't wait to do it. The thought of the plane ride on that little Cessna scares me to death since I'm not good with flying in the first place, but it also seems really cool and I bet the view will be absolutely beautiful. Since I've started scuba diving, I'v had to face a lot of my fears and overcome them, and now, I look forward to doing things I would never have considered before. I truly think we'll find this excursion to be the experience of a lifetime, too. Thanks.

 

Thanks to all for your wonderful comments and insights. I am confirmed for this trip. Now I just have to pass my open water test latter this week.:D I will post a review when I get back if anyone is interested.:rolleyes:

[diverearl]

Thanks to all for your wonderful comments and insights. I am confirmed for this trip. Now I just have to pass my open water test latter this week.:D I will post a review when I get back if anyone is interested.:rolleyes:

 

We would appreciate a review of your dive trip. Did you book through the cruise ship or on your own? Personally I like to have as many options (and opinions) as possible to choose from, you just never know. Also good luck with your OW :cool:.

[scuba214]

I dove in Belize through the ship on the first of October. I never do ship excursions, but I was the only diver in my group so I went ahead and booked it. The dive boat picks you up at the ship and it's about a 35 -40 minute trip to the island. The Adventure Dive Lodge is the only thing on the island and Hugh Parkleys is the dive op. Here we received our rental gear, if needed and then we were off to the reefs, about a 15 minute trip.

We dove to 70 feet on the first dive and 40 on the second. I wore a 3 mil shorty and was fine. The SI was on the boat. They served, fruit, sponge cake, chips and salsa and water.

There were 18 divers and they split us up in groups of six. I was impressed with the dive op. Nice equipment and friendly, safety conscious guides.

We had good visibility on our dives and the reefs looked healthy. I would recommend this trip, although it was a little pricey.:D

 

 

 

[rednose83]

Scuba 214: are those pics from the certified dive at Turneffe Atoll or the Discover dive?

[scuba214]

They are from the certified dive at Turneffe Atoll.

[CaribQween]

They are from the certified dive at Turneffe Atoll.

 

Your pictures are absolutely beautiful. They make me so anxious to get to the Caribbean.

[CaribQween]

Thanks to all for your wonderful comments and insights. I am confirmed for this trip. Now I just have to pass my open water test latter this week.:D I will post a review when I get back if anyone is interested.:rolleyes:

 

Of course we're interested in hearing about your OW cert experience.

 

We did our Advanced Open Water this weekend. We did it in two days of which one was at France Park in Logansport, IN and the other was at Haigh Quarry in Illinois. It was absolutley freezing the whole time. Generally our computers were showing the water at about 53-56 degrees. When we were out of the water in between dives, it was so miserable no one could stand it. My husband did the night dive and his computer showed 41 degrees for that one. I wimped out and just couldn't bring myself to do the night dive. My teeth were already chattering just standing out in the cold, night wind. I couldn't put back on my wet, freezing cold skin and wet suit and then get in that cold water, so I did a different dive the next day to make up for it.

 

Our deep dive was about 80 feet down in one of the quarries and it was very dark with viz about 5 feet. It was really sort of spooky down there. I lost sight of everyone with me at one point and started feeling sort of anxious. The instructors showed us how all of the colors down there basically turned to black and white and how compression was just so much different at that depth. It's just unbelieveable what those conditions were like compared to what everyone says we'll encounter in the Caribbean. There you can be down at 100 feet and still have viz of 70-100 feet or more and because of that it can be so much easier to lose track of how deep you really are if you don't pay very close attention to your depth gauge or computer.

 

The whole AOW experience made us feel like we need to be a little more cautious about the diving we plan to do during our cruise in February. It really made us realize our diving limitations and how much we really need additional experience before trying to progress to dives that are really for more experienced divers. Just getting our AOW certification certainly doesn't mean we're ready for anything and everything. It was a very long hard weekend and we were completely worn out afterwards, but it certainly taught us a lot and we learned a lot about our own diving skills and the need to improve in many different areas.

 

So, tell us all about your experience. We'd love to hear about it :).

[rednose83]

They are from the certified dive at Turneffe Atoll.

 

Oh, I might have to reconsider our 4X4 excursion in Belize!

 

On another note, I am no certified as of Sunday.

 

For our first OW dive, we dove in Weeki Wachee Springs right where the mermaids preform. We saw plenty of turtles, flounder, and 3 manatees. Weeki Wachee Springs Where you see the divers in the picture us the platform we used to do the skills.

 

Our second dive was completed at Rainbow River. Here is The Rainbow River Home Page We canoed upstream got out in a small lagoon and geared up. We completed two dives to get the skills completed. Our final dive was a 45 minute drift dive back to the main area. It was an awesome dive! I'm glad I did the drift too since we are diving Cozumel.

[rednose83]

 

It's just unbelieveable what those conditions were like compared to what everyone says we'll encounter in the Caribbean. There you can be down at 100 feet and still have viz of 70-100 feet or more and because of that it can be so much easier to lose track of how deep you really are if you don't pay very close attention to your depth gauge or computer.

 

It's true. When the water is crystal clear- it's hard to judge depth. On one of my checkout dives, we were at 44 feet. I thought we were at like 10ish feet. The surface looked like it was right there. You could see the opening to the cave entrance (where the water rushes out from the aquifer) and it looked like it was another 10-15 feet away. It was another 40 feet away for a total of 85 feet under. You totally couldn't tell at all. Vis was 200+ on that dive!